Mildura Rural City Council will remove a large Cottonwood tree from Red Cliffs’ Barclay Square on Thursday, May25 due to the risk it poses to users of the park.

The decision to remove the tree follows a comprehensive inspection of trees in eight parks across the municipality by qualified arborists Homewood Consulting Pty Ltd.

Homewood Consulting found that the tree structure was “very poor” and recommended it be removed as soon as possible due to the potential risk to public safety.

The Cottonwood tree is not subject to any heritage controls and must be removed to ensure the community’s safety.

Councillor for Environmental Sustainability Anthony Cirillo said while Council understands the importance of large, well established trees to the visual amenity of the region and its public parks and gardens, public safety remained a priority.

“No-one likes to see large trees removed from our parks and gardens, and decisions like this are only made as a last resort, however an independent examination by expert arborists has revealed this tree is in very bad shape, and must be removed given the hazard it poses to the community,” Cr Cirillo said.